The Saga of Erotika Jones 08 (Serial)
And now our heroine, along with her team, has run out of time - almost. Now it's time to take out the villains, to cut off the head of this snake... If there's enough time left to pull it off.
A fashion model in a skimpy outfit going to meet an arch criminal with advanced weaponry.
What could go wrong?
Well, about everything. But maybe not.
Because I had only "borrowed" this body and her wardrobe to solve a mystery - and some crimes.
I'd been chasing this person by following his various crimes for decades now. Not knowing his organization, just his trail of "collateral damage" where people died. Where thefts of exotic equipment and materials went unsolved, and often unknown.
Sometimes, between my sleuthing and my team's backup, we foiled their work.
Then they made the big mistake. They went after me.
Now we know where they are. And we have one chance to cut the head off this snake.
If he doesn't escape - or do us in first.
I
I heard Finn waiting at my breakfast nook, so I quickly finished dressing.
I could smell the aroma of coffee as I rounded the doorway. His shock of unruly red hair above a pleasant smile and a steaming coffee mug was always a pleasant site. That brother of mine was wearing Naval chambray and dungarees. Both elbows on the table, relaxed and patiently waiting.
“Good morning, Erotika Jones.” His smile turned into a grin.
“Good morning, Finn. Today, we can retire that code name. I’ve always hated it.”
“How’s that, Erika? Not that you hated it, but that we don’t have to use it?”
“Because between the recent experiences and Carol’s healing touch, I’ve recovered all the memories I need.”
Finn scooted the other chair out for me with his foot, and then turned around in the tiny nook to grab the small carafe from its warming burner behind him. He filled a second mug that was waiting for me, where it sat near a bear-shaped squeeze bottle of honey.
My brother knew me too well.
I eased down into the chair, my comfortable jeans and plaid shirt allowing me to experience the grain of that solid wood chair, with it’s curves and support. My feet were in some thick wool socks, which kept my feet off the cool tile floor. Comfy. Nice.
“Will Carol or Will be joining us this morning?” I glanced to see what other chairs could be pulled in for them from the furniture assortment here..
“No, they are both busy building some improvements to your C. E. L. phone. Something you may need later.”
“Ooh, new gizmo’s. Just what a girl wants.”
“Oh, she did send you some jewelry.”
Finn handed me a green, polished-stone pendant with gold streaks, suspended on a braided, beaded choker.
“Well, I’ll have to thank her when she comes by next.”
“Of course, that’s a communication device and tracker – but you’re familiar with this.”
“Yes, Finn, I remember. So all I have to do is think and she’ll get everything.”
Finn nodded. “After yesterday, she doesn’t want to take any chances. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“Today’s the last day, so she won’t be getting any data-swaps from her outside crew.”
Of course, that reminded me of the problem Carol had been working ever since she volunteered to come and work with us personally. The battery and power regeneration was failing. After today, it wouldn’t keep everything running. Like our little life support system.
“She’s got a plan for what happens after?” I squeezed honey into my coffee, like any normal day.
Finn nodded, with a smile. “She’s worked up something between Al the A.I. and the Library crew. It’s pretty detailed, but our job is pretty simple.”
I waited, sipping my honey-sweetened coffee and delighting in simple pleasures.
When Finn didn’t continue, I raised an eyebrow. “And…”
“And our final job is simple. We find the mastermind behind the ‘goon squad’ we’ve been tracking.”
“And then…”
“Take him out somehow.”
“Somehow?”
Finn sighed. “Same old, same old. We’re going to have to sleuth it out and be inventive.”
“Good thing I love inventive sleuthing.”
“You’re good at it.”
“So what’s the uniform of the day?”
Finn grinned, to cover a little pink in his cheeks. “Fashionista.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, check your wardrobe. As much skin as possible. High heels to accent your legs – you know the look better than I do.”
I rolled my eyes at that. “Good thing I’m your sister.”
“So I can play bodyguard to your femme-fatale.”
I smiled over the rim of my coffee mug. “Sounds like a fun last day. Dressing up to outwit an arch-criminal master mind.”
Finn smiled at my quip, rose, put his mug in the sink before turning to me again.“I’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready.”
He vanished from my sight, as usual. No noise, just faded out.
And I took the few minutes to sit and finish off my coffee. Hoping we’d find a bakery on our way to get a sweet bun. Not great for a fashion model’s figure, but I had an idea that I’d need the extra calories to burn today.
II
THE SMELL OF SOLDER made my nose wrinkle. Small fragments of plastic were left scattered on the narrow control board. Finn dusted his hands off before he carefully snapped the phone back together. It fit perfectly. He smiled, relaxing his wrinkled brow from concentration.
I looked over from my coding. “Well Finn, what do you think?”
The screen on the phone came to life and ran through it’s diagnostics. “Looks like it will do the trick, Carol. One for both Will and Erika, another for me. Sure I shouldn’t make one for you?”
I shook my head no. “I think that I’ll be more than busy keeping track of things here and getting other preps done.”
Finn glanced to the satin-polished metal globe on the control board next to one of the monitors. A black cable snaked out from it and underneath to attach somewhere below.
“How’s Al doing?”
“Seems to have everything he needs. He’s being quiet while he packs a copy of everything he’ll need in there.”
Finn frowned. “Kinda weird, copying himself.”
I smiled. “Like Will doesn’t do that with his time-bending?”
He shifted into a wry grin. “But that’s a natural phenomenon. He doesn’t have to choose what he wants to compress into a tiny little room, all so that the original ‘Will’ can vanish.”
“We don’t know that he’s going to vanish. There may be residual charge enough to keep him alive…”
My voice choked up.
Will put his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve all gotten fond of him, and you’ve got a lot of yourself invested in him.”
“Kinda like raising a smart-alec kid.”
“You know he’s probably older than you.”
“Oh, just don’t go there. Like time-benders even age – or was that a way to get me to tell you my real age? Not very gentlemanly.”
“But your teasing is something any lady can get away with all she wants.”
“All in good fun, dear.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “Yes, you’re right, as always.”
I was about to punch him, but the phone’s display came up with a readout and some tiny lights flashed. Finn took his hand away to start clicking and pressing various buttons.
“Carol, it looks like we’re good to go. We’ve got readouts for Will, me and Erika now. All three pendants are coming in strong.”
I turned to a second CRT display. Clicking on that keyboard, the data started scrolling down. “Wish I had a bit more time to this so we could get visual. Once Al gets some computing cycles freed up, I’ll see if he can’t work something up. But I won’t bother him until he originates something to me. Just figure that he’s concentrated on his packing, getting ready to move.”
Finn nodded. “Well, I’d better get going.” A sweep of his hand made the various sandings and filings vanish into the trash bin. He replaced the now-cooled soldering iron into a drawer.
Then he leaned over and kissed my cheek.
I was ready for that, and grabbed his neck. Turning, I gave him a proper long smooch. “That’s so you remember where home is.”
“Where my heart is, always. Yes, I know.”
But he paused again, as we looked deep into each other’s eyes.
I sighed at last, and let him pull away.
“Be careful, Finn.”
“You, too, Carol.”
Then he left through the narrow door by the viewscreen window.
His own scent replaced the solder smell in my nose. Much better.
I settled back to finishing up the coding I needed to do. More like a needlepoint now. Just double-checking details…
III
FINN MET ME AT MY FRONT steps. I adjusted the tall fur collar of my jacket with my long blond hair inside it. And zipped up my jacket front to be a little less revealing. Or to keep any errant wind from flapping it open to disclose far more skin than necessary. I'd slipped on a narrow light-tan bandeau that was nearly my skin color. Some modesty, at least.
As it was, the drafts up across my otherwise bare chest from below were energizing. To the point of goose bumps.
My mini-skirt was skimpy, and held itself up by tight elastic all through. No curve left unrevealed. Again, coolish beneath.
The matching black high-heels had a bit of a platform to them, so I was eye-to-eye with Finn for once. That made us both smile. But walking a bit more treacherous. So I had his arm for several blocks until I mastered traveling in those shoes.
Finn’s appreciating eye told me the “fashionista” effect was eye-catching. (I just hoped Carol would understand when his “appreciation” showed toward her later.)
We were in Long Beach. And we caught a cab to Terminal Island.
The readings Will extracted from those goons pointed us there.
- - - -
THE CAB LEFT US AT the front of a specific warehouse.
Finn helped me extricate myself from that cab without exposing more than was necessary.
He had a large camera with a huge lens suspended from his neck, plus sporting a stylish pair of sunglasses. Today, his wild hair was for effect, and the wide, unbuttoned collar of his loud pink shirt contrasted with a business-like dark charcoal suit jacket above black jeans. Yes, he was being my photographer, but also wearing a no-nonsense attitude that cemented the look.
We were both pro’s at what we were there for.
I took a few steps to the front and Finn was photographing nearly every step I took. Once I got next to something I could lean against, then the photo-shoot action got into play. My exaggerated poses seemed to amuse the guards more than alarm them.
Working our way to a massive, open doorway, we were inside the warehouse proper before anyone got alarmed. One of the senior guards shooed the others away to deal with us personally.
He was in a dark shirt and slacks. An ear-bud seemed to be wired to a belt device for communications. A holster on his waist held some handgun with a small grip. Dark shades, aviator style, completed his authority look.
“You can’t shoot in here.” He held out his hand to block Finn’s lens.
I just sidled up to him, trying to use him as a prop.
At first he resisted, but I got closer and more cloying. Distracting.
As I leaned forward, my jacket front widening, I whispered in his ear, “We can send you your own copies of these photo’s – just give me your number and address…”
The senior guard smiled, amused.
I reached up and took off his shades to put them on my own head, then stroked his face while looking at Finn and his camera, which had continued snick-whirling away.
The rest of his men stayed in the distance, sharing quiet comments between them. Smiles on everyone’s faces.
I looked into the senior guard’s steel-gray eyes. “Why don’t you give us a tour – we think your job is just the glamor we need.”
The guard stiffened, but then relaxed as my hand caressed his jaw.
I pulled him toward a central office block, as Finn kept up the photography. My arm slid around his waist as we walked. “I bet this is just so boring for you. You’re probably wanting to get off your feet and find a chair to get more comfortable in.”
His stern look was melting under my affections. And at last his own arm reached around my own waist, where I stroked his hand with my supple fingers.
Still walking backwards as he moved with me, following me step-by-step, until at last I had reached a hard surface behind me and could go no further.
The guard now had an odd, unfocused look to his eyes and he still leaned against me. Below my left hand was something on that hard surface protruded behind me – yes. That surface was a door, and my hand closed around that doorknob. So I turned it.
We then fell through into the office, as its door opened behind me.
IV
WILL WAS WITH ME, WATCHING the console display over my shoulder.
Above the console, the viewscreen window showed Erika’s position in real time. The system was tracking with her as always.
Al was translating the output from the pendant around Erika’s neck into various real-time readouts on the screen. One section of the screen display showed her vitals, another section showed Finn’s. A bar across the top of the console display was showing relative power levels and estimated time left based on those readings.
I had the sound off from what was happening beyond the viewscreen for now. It was too apparent what was going on.
Al’s modulated voice came through the speakers. “Carol, I’ve coaxed everything out of the system I can. We’re down to mere hours left at this point, but that could shift rapidly.”
I glanced at the counter. Seconds of power left were declining rapidly, at a stuttering rate. Sometimes several second were skipped in the countdown as the power declined.
Maybe four hours left. If that.
- - - -
“WILL, DID YOU FIND the other location?”
“Yes. It’s the diner you told me about in L. A. But it’s a real trick getting in there.”
“Unless we just use the front door.”
“Our timing has to be perfect.”
“Will, you track that end. Synchronize us with the point just before the loop shifts on their end.”
“Finn, can you hear me?”
Finn thought “yes” and Al translated it into the console screen.
“So you can hear us on this end through your pendant?”
Another “yes” signal came though.
“Alright then, you know how this has to play out. We’re radio-silent on Erika, so you’re going to have to direct this play from your end.”
Another “yes” signal – he understood.
“Luck to us all, then.”
V
FINN WAS MOVING AROUND the interior of the warehouse office, working to get better “shots” of my interaction with the guard.
The boss goon was incensed. I heard him yelling as he got up and moved around to the front of his desk. “Guard! What is all this, who is this girl? This is not authorized! Report! What is going on?!?”
The senior guard stiffened and came to attention.
I almost fell off him – or seemed to – and came up against the boss goon himself, where I grabbed out and back behind me to find and hold onto him as my new “balance”.
The guard was completely red-faced and realized he’d been played. That embarrassment quickly turned to anger.
“Sir! I’ll – you – she…”
- - - -
“QUIET!” Get out of here this instant! Bring back a squad to escort these ‘visitors’ out of here immediately! Find out what they know and how they found us. NOW!”
The senior guard pivoted and bolted through the door, yelling for his other guards.
Finn ran behind him, grabbed the open door and slammed it shut, turning the deadbolt lock with a final click.
That was my cue. My jacket “suddenly” came unzipped the rest of the way and I turned suddenly to lean against the boss goon. That in turn forced him off balance and we went skittering the few steps across the room to meet up with the hard edge of his desk.
Now I was on top of him where he lay on his desk, his feet in the air, my jacket open to his gaze, all while my legs and arms pinned his down.
His own eyes were wide with astonishment, surprise, and rage.
My act was to be innocently alluring, but shocked at my sudden situation. “Sir, how dare you! How could you possibly take advantage of me?!? How do you think you could get away with this?”
Finn had maneuvered closely, getting close up shots of his face, composing two-shots of us together, and against enough background to make our position incriminating.
I then made it more incriminating as I pulled his hands behind my back, so that it looked like I was trying to escape his amorous attentions.
“Miss! Miss! This is not as it seems! It is you who are…” He was now unable to do anything except apologize for a situation beyond his control.
I cut his protests off. “Let me go – NOW. How DARE you! The authorities will be hearing about this. Get off me NOW. Unhand me you – you – you CAD!”
Of course, my hands had locked his behind my waist, and my legs effectively kept his from moving. No matter how he struggled to get his feet on the floor again, my center of balance canceled his.
To make his matters worse, his view of my all-but-bare chest was nearly all he could see.
Finn was circling and seeming to take pictures at a rapid pace (no, there wasn’t really any film or memory cards in that camera) which actions just reddened the goon boss’s face even more. He could hear all the “shots” being taken and could imagine the blackmail pictures that would result.
The guards were now pounding at the door and looking for open windows around the outside perimeter of the freestanding office. Someone was working at the lock, fumbling noisily with a variety of keys to unlock that door instead of breaking it down. They all knew their jobs were on the line.
Of course, their own view of my exposed activities on top of their boss was undoubtedly slowing their response – just a little, anyway. Probably why they’d rather look in the windows into that office than break any of them to get in.
That was the point.
- - -
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN had begun. I could hear Carol in my head through the pendant, as could Finn.
VI
IT WAS ACTUALLY AL doing the countdown, using my voice.
“50 – 49 – 48…”
“OK, Will, do you have it?”
Will was looking off in space, concentrating. He nodded yes.
“Erika, Finn – Get that goon boss on his feet. You need to be within a four-square foot space, standing.”
“35 – 34 – 33…”
VII
AT THAT SIGNAL, I SCRAMBLED back. My arms let go and pushed off against his chest to get away from him.
Finn’s swish-clicking of his “camera” continued in closeups of the boss goon’s ruby-red face.
As the boss goon worked to get his balance, I “lost” mine again, “falling” nearly to my knees with my hands on his waistband.
The boss goon had to push himself from his desk with both hands behind him on its edge.
Meanwhile, his trousers jammed down his legs to his ankles.
I thrust up with my own legs, which clocked him beneath his chin with the top of my head. And his own head went back as he became unconscious.
Finn moved in and hugged us both together.
We heard Carol’s voice in our heads. “5 – 4 – 3…”
VIII
FINN AND I NOW STOOD behind Carol in a diner.
Carol ran forward to hug a girl friend she recognized. In one of her hands, she held a round shell that contained a compressed version of “Al”.
An older couple stood behind that friend and Carol.
Finn and I were in our Navy dress whites, just as the day we had entered that experiment’s control booth decades ago.
He looked dashing as an officer, his Naval cover on his head.
And I had my own red hair back, brushed and pinned inside my WAVE cover.
“Who are your friends, Carol?”
Carol disengaged her friendly hug to gesture toward us. “Mary, Abe, Stefi, this is Finn and Erika.”
Finn came up by Carol and hugged her with one arm. And we all shook hands with everyone.
About that time, the building itself shook.
Carol had shut her eyes and was concentrating. Finn was ensuring she kept her balance with a firm, full hug.
Finally, the shaking stopped. Carol opened her eyes again, accompanied by a wide smile. “We’re here.”
Where the diner windows used to be filled with surrounding L.A. streets, concrete walks, and palm trees – now were filed with a large metallic-and-concrete dome that rose up overhead. The smog-filtered sunlight had been replaced with a grayish artificial light.
- - - -
WE ALL SAT DOWN AT one of the booths and Finn pulled over a couple of extra chairs that were available.
Carol placed the A.I. on a nearby table, on top of a fused lump of metal, which kept it from rolling off.
In front of us at our table was a full apple pie in its original pie pan, most of a quart of ice cream, and a few quarts of eggnog.
We were now the sole customers in that diner.
Finn started filling and passing out mugs with eggnog, while Carol started telling us all her part as she served up dessert for everyone.
“Finn and Erika were stuck in their own time-loop-sort-of-bubble-thing. The battery that was powering their loop/bubble-thing was running down, and that was the project I couldn’t get out of in order to save John. So I brought them and you all here instead.”
Mary asked, “And John…”
Abe spoke up. “…Is fine now. He’s in good hands, someone who can help him make his own wishes come true.”
Mary frowned. “But what happened to all the people – Molly, Hami?”
“They are all doing just fine back on Earth.”
We all waited for the other shoe to drop.
Abe continued. “The only way we could break the loop was to make a duplicate of the diner and move it to the Moon, out of those other force’s reach. Everyone else is in the original diner just as before – but to them, we vanished. Not that they weren’t expecting it.”
“And that broke the loop for good?”
“Yes. In this diner. It still continues in that one.”
Mary still frowned. “So I’m just supposed to take that explanation at face value?”
Abe shrugged. “Mary, you always appreciate details. OK: The china were actually built as little pendants like you’re used to using in your Ghost Hunter Library training. That connection weakened the time-loop spell. The food came from Hami’s through a special door that connected right through. (Actually, the door is still there, and you can use it to get to Hami’s when you’re done here if you want.) The duplicate diner then further weakened that spell, since it was only designed and cast for a single diner, not two of them at once. Carol brought us here to the moon. Somewhere in those couple hundred thousand miles, the sheer distance finally broke that spell. So now we are all safe.”
Smiles all around.
Then the quaking started again.
Abe looked at Carol, who shrugged. She was secure in Finn’s arms.
I looked over to the other table and saw something glowing. “It’s the A.I.!”
With the quaking, the round satin-brushed globe and the fused metal both shook together and merged. They began glowing from the interaction.
A blinding flash resulted.
When we all got our vision back, there was a scorch mark on that booth table, but nothing remained of the two objects.
Abe looked at Stefi and she nodded.
- - - -
THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT to do after that but get back to work.
Carol, Finn, and me all headed to the back door to get to Hami’s. From there we could get to the Library for debriefing.
We left Abe and Stefi in the diner, as they’d explained they were safer on the moon for now, so they were going to meet with the people running that dome.
VIII
SURE, WE GOT A GREAT meal at Hami’s. She insisted. And she told us some stories about her mom, Molly. Plus we got some of her incredible raisin-oatmeal cookies for the next leg of our journey.
The debriefing at the Library was more informal than either Finn or I had ever experienced. It was more of a round-table discussion of what happened.
Will was waiting for us in the Library when we arrived, and added in his own view of what happened.
I didn’t miss the paperwork we usually had. But then, a few decades stuck inside that “experiment” would have had tall stacks of paper to fill out if we had.
So missing that was a plus.
That and Granger’s brownies – with her special spice tea. Both are real pluses you don’t want to miss if you get a chance.
- - - -
AT LAST IT WAS JUST the four of us sitting in the Library. Two mission-style couches faced each other across a matching, wide tea table. At each end were two mission style chairs, both empty.
Will and I were cozy on one couch, while Finn and Carol were just as relaxed on the other.
The tall, endless shelving of the library extended off in radial spokes into the darkness from where we sat. The ceiling itself was lost in darkness, while the lighting came from some unknown sources. Just light enough to see our little center. Cozy, and to me – even a bit romantic.
Finn and I had changed into civilian casual. And found out that as we had been given full military burials after the original “accident”, we were released from active duty.
On the tea table were the platters, plates, cups, and carafes that used to hold spiced tea and brownies. Now just chocolate crumbs and a few swallows of tea remained.
For now, it was great having no deadlines at all, and no one to have to report to.
I still had questions, though.
“Did that girl get back to her regular life?”
Carol nodded. “Will took care of that. She woke up in her own bed the next morning, all safe and sound. No memory of how she saved the day.”
“The goons?”
“They scattered. But without leadership, they mostly got rounded up sooner or later. Many just disappeared with no trace.”
“OK, what happened to the goon boss?”
Will answered before Carol could. “Erika, he’s still stuck in that diner in L. A. That fused metal you saw was the original controls for that time loop. He’ll have plenty of good food from here on out, but a fixed menu. And anytime he wants to walk out that front door, he’ll find himself simply walking back in. But the diner now has a firm policy – no goons allowed. Besides him, anyway. Everyone else can come and go as they please. But he’ll quickly get a reputation for being left alone, as he will start talking about space-shifting handguns, and body-shifting female detectives, and all sorts of wild theories that can’t be proved.”
I moved my arm that curled around Will’s shoulders and raised my hand up to start stroking the back of his head. “But how did you get out of there?”
“That’s going to be part of your training. Tess is scheduling some classes for you and Finn to bring you up to speed.”
I leaned back to look at his face. “Classes?”
“In time-bending. If you haven’t guessed from Carol’s and my hints, you’re both natural time-benders, and are the only reason that experiment worked at all. When you first came on your inspection, it was to examine the circumstances of a missing person. But he only went missing for a little while, since he was just ‘misplaced’ somewhere else. The experiment was a failure and you were supposed to find that out. Unfortunately, that one scientist managed to trap you both inside, affected by the radiation. Carol came in, cured you both, and the rest of it was figuring out how to extract you and preserve the experimental project itself.”
“So it’s all still there?”
Carol nodded. “Yes, Erika. But it’s all buried again. The only way in now is by time-space bending. There is still enough power down there to keep Al fully powered. And Al has the entrance keyed so that only me or Will – and later, you two – can access it. But he won’t be lonely. He’s hardwired into all the report lines he had earlier access to, plus a new one to this Library. Bart and Ernst are keeping him occupied, by helping them on other projects that the Library needs. Plus, they’ve got a great lab to build things.”
I leaned my head down on Will’s shoulder, and curled my legs and feet onto the couch beneath me.
As exciting as all this long experiment was, this comfort could be habit-forming.
I looked across to the other couch and it seemed that Finn and Carol were thinking the same as Will and me.
Tomorrow, we had to get a check-up at Rochelle’s and receive treatment for any residual effects. And there was a lot to catch up on that had happened during those decades we were stuck inside that extended-time sleuthing experiment.
But tonight, I had other “catching-up” on my mind.
I heard they have some great canoodling spots around here. Long, dark library shelves to give us all the privacy we could take advantage of…
Book Universes Notes
The first in this series is "The Saga of Erotika Jones 01", where Erika and Finn are first introduced.
Like the others in this series, this story is placed in the late 1970's. The Long Beach Naval Station existed there at the time.
Carol and the concept of time-bending were first introduced in "Time Bent", as well as her learning to heal.
Will was first introduced in "Erotika Jones 02", but his existence as a time-bender shows in "Erotika Jones 04"
The "C. E. L." phone stands for Communication and Emergency Logistics – but it operates much like our current cellphones. But those weren't around in the 70's.
The green stone pendants were first introduced in "A Case of Missing Wings", while their first use for data-storage was introduced in "Moon Bride".
The diner is first introduced in "The Case of the Walkaway Blues". It's time loop is introduced in "The Case of the Walkaway Diner Redoux". Three later stories tell that whole story arc, as assembled in "Walkaway Blues Anthology".
Mary was first introduced in "The Case of a Cruising Phantom".
John, Ben, the Library, and Granger, as mentioned, were first introduced in "Ghost Hunters".
Abe and Stefi appeared together in "NaN", a prequel to "Walkaway Diner Redoux".
Molly was introduced in "Walkaway Diner Redoux" while her daughter Hami was first introduced in "The Lazurai". Her healing clinic was first described in "The Case of the Forever Cure".
Bennie and Ernst were first introduced in "When Cats Ruled".